King Curtis from Wife Swap: Where is the reality TV star now?

HE’S the chicken nugget-loving boy who went viral after appearing on Wife Swap in 2009. We tracked down King Curtis to find out if he’s changed at all. Spoiler: He hasn’t.

IF YOU’VE never heard of King Curtis, boy are you in for a treat.

Back in 2009, the then seven-year-old and his family were featured on an episode of the US TV show, Wife Swap.

In the reality program, the mums from two drastically different families swap places for a couple of weeks and mayhem often ensues.

Curtis’s family loved Demolition Derby and lived on junk food, with the seven-year-old eating chicken nuggets for three meals every single day.

The self-appointed “King of the House” clashed with his mum’s replacement, Joy, who came from a family of fitness fanatics and did her best to promote healthy eating and exercise.

Curtis got into several heated arguments with Joy in the memorable episode and became famous for his catchphrases including, “bacon is good for me”, “chicken nuggets is like my family”, and “she’s acting like she’s the Queen and we’re the sorry people”.

Here’s a clip of Curtis’ highlights from the episode:

News.com.au tracked down King Curtis, now 16, to find out what he’s up to now:

How much do you remember from the filming of Wife Swap?

I remember all of it.

Did the producers tell you what to say and how to act or was that all you?

The producers didn’t tell me what to do on the show, but I’ll say this: If I asked you a million questions in a million different ways, I’d eventually get the answer I want. You understand what I’m saying?

How did your life change after the episode aired in 2009?

When it came on air a lot of people recognised me. We went on a family vacation to a place in North Carolina called the Biltmore. It’s a very, very nice plantation. Very high end.

We went there for a tour and some woman ran up to me and said, “Are you King Curtis?” And I said, “Yes I am.” That’s about 300 miles (480km) away from my house and that was probably the longest distance from home that someone’s recognised me.

In my home town people would yell out at me, “There’s Curtis, he’s famous. He’s a rock star.”

You had a number of memorable lines in the episode. Do people ever repeat them to you?

All the time. People yell either “bacon is good for me” or “chicken nuggets is like my family”.

King Curtis did not get on well with Joy.

Were you approached to do TV shows or commercials after appearing on Wife Swap?

Yes, sir. I had an offer from a bacon company but I was still contracted to ABC so I couldn’t take it.

And is it true you filmed a pilot for a reality show about your life?

I did. I had a lot of fun shooting the pilot, more fun than doing Wife Swap to be honest with you. But it just fell apart.

Have you kept in touch with Joy, who lived in your house for two weeks in the episode?

A year later she added us on Facebook and just for kicks and giggles we added her back. She was talking about how she was going on Dr. Phil and stuff like that. We blocked her after that.

You’re now 16. What are you up to?

I’m studying welding at college, that’s what I want to do when I grow up. I will graduate next year. I’m living with my parents still and yes, I have a girlfriend.

Curtis loves hunting and fishing.

Has she watched your episode of Wife Swap?

Oh yeah, sadly yes. Her senior quote is, “She’s the Queen and we’re the sorry people.”

Are you still obsessed with chicken nuggets?

Not obsessed, but I still like them. I have them at least once every two weeks.

Finally, would you be keen to doing another reality TV show?

The odds of it happening again are slim to none, but it would be a ball.